Tennis racket cover



.Filed Aug. 11, 1938 ENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Abraham Halpin, New York, N. Y.

Application August 11, 1938, Serial No. 224,276

s Glaims. (01. 150-11 This invention relates to tennis racket'covers of the draw string type. I

One object of the invention is to provide a cover of the character described having improved L means affording a neat and attractive continuous closure structure permitting reliable smooth and easy opening and closing of the cover.

Heretofore, covers or bags of the draw string type have been made with hems completely open and exposed where the draw strings emerge from the hems. This resulted in curling and binding of the hems at their open ends when the-draw strings were manipulated, so that tearing of the material or of the stitching frequently occurred in rough use, and the appearance of the bag or cover left much to be desired.

It is therefore an object'of the invention to overcome these defects and also to provide an improved method to construct'my-improved'bags on a quantity production basis.

Another object of the invention is to furnish improved means for automatically locking the cover closed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character described having few and simple parts, and which is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and is durable, reliable, neat, compact and efflcient in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing a cover embodying the invention, as applied to a tennis racket.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation showing the cover in open position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation of the cover, with parts removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the guide and locking means for the draw strings, with the latter shown in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, with the draw string in dot-das lines.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, ll! denotes a device embodying the invention and being in the nature of a draw string bagor cover l l, for example, of the type adapted for tennis rackets. The same may have two side walls [2 that may consist of separate sheets of waterproof or other suitable material, interconnected by a continuous marginal line of stitching or other seam i3.-

Along the top edge or mouth 14 of the cover is provided any suitable hem l5 which maybe defined between vertically spaced circumferential lines of stitching Hi. This hem thus includes an outer wall I! and an inner wall [8. Formed in the outer wall I! of the hem so as to span across the seam I3 is an eyelet or grommet l9, as shown in Fig. 4, whereas the inner hem wall I8 is free of any openings or connections. Desirably a plurality of draw strings 20 are provided operative in opposite directions, toward the side edges of the cover, at which they emerge through their respective grommets. Each draw string 20 has its ends knotted together, as at 2!, with the knots encased in sheet metal spherical balls 22 which are clinched around the knots and form.

stops.

It will now be perceived that the hem is circumferentially continuous at both the inner and outer Walls l1, l8 and is not open or broken at the seam line l3, whereby the hem is continuously self reenforcing throughout, and that the grommets I 9 do not weaken the seam l3 but rather reenforce the same since they span across the seam and are tightly clinched down on the material at the opposite sides of the seam. A particularly neat, simple and inexpensive structure is provided, which can be closed by merely pulling in opposite directions on the'knobs or caps 22, to cause the mouth portion of the cover to gather snugly around the tennis racket handle 23, the head 24 whereof has been received in the cover. While the draw strings may be secured by tying them together, I preferin ceredges having frictional locking engagement with the draw string.

In use, the operator may close the cover by merely pulling the draw strings apart as before,- the tabs resiliently deflecting outwardly under the pull of the draw strings to permit free passage of the latter. But since the tabs tend to move toward the grommets, they automatically engage and lock the draw strings. to open the cover, the operator may grasp the. tabs 25 which operate as finger tabs and pull them apart, this action causing release of the draw strings at the same time that it serves to pull the cover open. The tabs 25 thus afford a material advantage in facilitating opening of the cover, because the operator need not grope to grasp the hem, but may merely seize the exposed easily visible tabs.

In manufacture, the grommets !9 maybe applied to the cover after the seams l3 have been formed. Then the marginal portion of the cover is turned in over the draw strings and the stitching 25 applied.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a device which fulfills the objects of the invention and iswell adapted for practical use.

I claim: 1

1. A device including a tennis racket cover having a top opening, said cover having side walls seamed together along the edges of the cover up to the edge of said top opening, a hem portion for the cover along said top opening, said hem portion consisting of inturned portions of the side walls and being continuous along the top If new it be desired opening and across said seams, a plurality of oppositely acting draw strings in said hem portion, and grommets in the outer walls of the hem portions at opposite edges of the cover, through which the draw strings extend outward of the hem portion, and external pull tabs connected to the grommets for opening the cover, said tabs being resilient and confronting the grommets to frictionally grip the draw strings and prevent the latter from'moving inward of the hem portion,-sai'd tabs releasing the drawstrings upon grasping the tabs and moving them apart to open the cover.

2. A bag having a hem and a draw string I therein,=a grommet in the hem through which the draw string extends outward, and a spring tab connected to the grommet and confronting the same, said tab being normally urged toward the grommet into frictional gripping engagement with the draw string and releasing the latter upon pulling the tabin a direction away from the grommet to permit the bag to open.

3. A device including a tennis racket cover having a top opening, said cover having side walls seamed together along the edges of the cover up to the edge of said top opening, a hem portion for the cover along said top opening, said hem portion consisting of inturned portions of the side walls and being continuous along the top opening and across said seams, a plurality of oppositely acting draw strings in said hem portion, and grommets in the outer walls of the hem portions at opposite edges of the cover, through which the draw strings extend outward of the hem portion, said grommets spanning across the seams and having portions clinched on the side Walls of the cover to reeniorce the seams; and spring tongues connectedto the grommets and confronting the Same and tending to resiliently move toward the grommets to frictionally grip the draw string between the tongues and the grommets to hold the draw string in set position.

ABRAHAM HALPIN. 

